No one expects to bite into fresh fruit and become deathly ill. Yet, that's what happened to at least 178 people in 21 states, who consumed cantaloupe contaminated with salmonella. This deadly outbreak — two have died — is particularly poignant a year after the deadliest outbreak of food-borne illness since 1924 and because of legislation in limbo drafted to avert such tragedies.

A: Yes. This landmark legislation, the first major overhaul of FDA's food safety law since the Great Depression, shifts the focus from reacting to food safety problems to preventing them. In terms of produce, like cantaloupe, it requires FDA to establish safety standards for growing and harvesting that would prevent contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Q: What's the holdup?

A: Short answer: The rules are being held up at the White House. In order to implement the new law, the FDA must propose and then finalize new safeguards that would spell out what growers should do to prevent safety problems. In December, FDA sent its draft rules to the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which has delayed them for more than eight months. The new law required these proposed rules to be published by Jan. 4.

Q: How do these food-borne illnesses typically spread and how would FSMA help?

A: Contamination of food with bacteria and other pathogens can occur anywhere along the food production and distribution chain. When it comes to fresh produce like cantaloupe, contamination can come from any number of sources, including water used to irrigate or wash the fruit, manure used to fertilize the fields, workers harvesting the melons who do not have adequate hygiene, or from wildlife in the fields or packing areas.

In addition to produce safety standards, FSMA also includes provisions to improve the safety of processed and imported foods.

Q: What standards would FSMA put into place to combat these public health threats?

A: FSMA would, for the first time, establish mandatory standards that would limit these and other potential sources of produce contamination.

Q: Would the measure address imported foods?

A: Yes, FSMA creates a comprehensive import safety system that, among other things, would make importers responsible for the safety of the food they import. We currently import 80 percent of the seafood we consume and up to two-thirds of the fruits and vegetables.

As the volume of imported food products and ingredients continues to skyrocket, we must have more assurance that these items are safe. Sadly, key rules to protect imported foods also have been delayed at the White House for more than eight months.

A: Yes. Our polling has demonstrated strong support for such funding. In a May 2011 survey of likely voters, 66 percent said they favor an increase in annual funding for the FDA so the agency can carry out the new food safety-related activities mandated by the food safety bill.

Q: What would be the consequences of a continued delay on employing the measure?